Portable satellite terminals for disaster relief
I came across this program on the BBC, rebroadcast late Sunday night in Washington DC on WAMU FM:
Digital Planet, October 20, 2009 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004l2hz
This organization, NetHope (http://www.nethope.org), has developed a small $3000 portable satellite terminal for quick deployment to disaster areas, providing voice and internet service through a commercial geosynchronous satellite. They are called "Network Relief Kits". Amsat can pretty well forget about attracting funding for a geosynchronous amateur satellite supporting emergency communications when the capability already exists.
It would seem that the only remaining justification for amateur radio in today's world is for the education and self training aspects. I don't know if "self training" as defined in part 97 carries any weight in today's world. There was a time when most engineers started out as hams in their early youth, but today only formal school based education carries any weight with employers and funding agencies. What this will mean for Amsat's ability to launch any future satellites that are larger than a Cubesat and in a higher orbit remains to be seen. Where does Amsat fit in with NetHope and the other non governmental organisations of the world?
Dan Schultz N8FGV
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From the BBC web site:
NETWORK RELIEF KITS Network Relief Kits have been designed to provide immediate internet access in remote areas. It is a small portable kit that fits into a back-pack, and has provided a vital aid to workers who set out to help people after disasters. The engineer and journalist, Mike Outmesguine, explains how to build an internet relief kit.
BILL BRINDLEY ON NetHope Bill Brindley, the CEO of NetHope, joins Digital Planet to discuss how his organisation developed the Network Relief Kit. Mr Brindley explains the importance of collaboration between non governmental organisations and other big business to further develop tools that will help in the restoration of connectivity to areas that have suffered natural disasters.
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for that link of the interview with with Radio Amateur Mike Outmesguine KG6NHH, I'd only just seen the text report, which is at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8318156.stm
73 Trevor M5AKA
--- On Tue, 27/10/09, Daniel Schultz n8fgv@usa.net wrote:
From: Daniel Schultz n8fgv@usa.net Subject: [amsat-bb] Portable satellite terminals for disaster relief To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Date: Tuesday, 27 October, 2009, 8:14 I came across this program on the BBC, rebroadcast late Sunday night in Washington DC on WAMU FM:
Digital Planet, October 20, 2009 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004l2hz
This organization, NetHope (http://www.nethope.org), has developed a small $3000 portable satellite terminal for quick deployment to disaster areas, providing voice and internet service through a commercial geosynchronous satellite. They are called "Network Relief Kits". Amsat can pretty well forget about attracting funding for a geosynchronous amateur satellite supporting emergency communications when the capability already exists.
It would seem that the only remaining justification for amateur radio in today's world is for the education and self training aspects. I don't know if "self training" as defined in part 97 carries any weight in today's world. There was a time when most engineers started out as hams in their early youth, but today only formal school based education carries any weight with employers and funding agencies. What this will mean for Amsat's ability to launch any future satellites that are larger than a Cubesat and in a higher orbit remains to be seen. Where does Amsat fit in with NetHope and the other non governmental organisations of the world?
Dan Schultz N8FGV
From the BBC web site:
NETWORK RELIEF KITS Network Relief Kits have been designed to provide immediate internet access in remote areas. It is a small portable kit that fits into a back-pack, and has provided a vital aid to workers who set out to help people after disasters. The engineer and journalist, Mike Outmesguine, explains how to build an internet relief kit.
BILL BRINDLEY ON NetHope Bill Brindley, the CEO of NetHope, joins Digital Planet to discuss how his organisation developed the Network Relief Kit. Mr Brindley explains the importance of collaboration between non governmental organisations and other big business to further develop tools that will help in the restoration of connectivity to areas that have suffered natural disasters.
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Dan observed:
Amsat can pretty well forget about attracting funding for a geosynchronous amateur satellite supporting emergency commun- ications when the capability already exists.
An Amateur Radio Club (of which AMSAT is a unique subset) usually isn't the first-to-market with technical equipment. On the other hand, a lot of amateur radio's innovations have become day-to-day technology haven't they?
Nethope at this point has only developed half of what AMSAT proposed - they did a ground terminal to communicate via an existing commercial service. Does that make AMSAT's "hopes" to also fly a payload "someday" plus a revived Namaste ground terminal a redundant proposition?
Enough companies make commercial satellite ground terminals that it has become commodity equipment covering a broad spectrum of capability and cost. Of all the automotive suppliers people still choose what fills their needs or wallet. Hams choose what fills our needs or wallet from all the amateur radio gear manufacturers. I guess you're observing that AMSAT's GEO proposal has to fit into the GEO satellite commodity market.
I've maintained that a GEO satellite is best suited to link widely deployed sectors of the Incident Command System. A satellite isn't generally useful in the often portrayed emergency communications scenario of the ham-in-a-yellow-vest pointing a 2M HT at a pile of tornado damage.
future satellites that are larger than a Cubesat and in a higher orbit
Yeah, at this point we're realizing that having a GEO satellite offer AMSAT 30x30x30cm of room is equivalent to winning the lottery. Perhaps for the next few years AMSAT's contributions to increased cubesat capability is a previously unforeseen intermediate opportunity to get us higher and louder. That seemed to me to be one of the key decisions coming out of the BoD meeting and Symposium discussions.
-- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM k9jkm@amsat.org
participants (3)
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Daniel Schultz -
JoAnne Maenpaa -
Trevor .